1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to handles for a paper shopping bag and, more particularly, to one-piece handles of molded plastic construction.
2. Background of the Prior Art
In a shopping bag of the type having a folded interior hem at the open end of the bag, it is known to provide multi-part handles with each part being constituted of a different material. Each handle comprises a base mounted within the fold between the hem and the side wall of the bag, and an elongated bail having its end portions connected to the base underneath the hem, and an intermediate bight portion extending away from the open end of the bag. In a known prior art embodiment, the bail is made of thick strong cord or rope made of intertwisted strands of fiber; the base is a discrete element made of cardboard or a heavyweight paper; and metal staples are used to connect the ends of the rope bail to the cardboard base.
Although the known multi-part and multi-material handles of the prior art are generally satisfactory for their intended purpose of providing a hand grip for carrying objects in a shopping bag, they have not proven to be altogether reliable in practice. First of all, three different parts each of a different material must be separately ordered, shipped, inventoried and assembled. This is extremely time-and labor-consuming and results in a very expensive overall manufacturing operation. Secondly, the staples sometimes fail to adequately connect the bail ends to the base, and this failure causes the bails to suddenly separate from the bag, thereby resulting in accidental breakage of the objects in the bag. Thirdly, the thick rope of the bail ends and the metal staples which lie over the same constitute non-flat raised connections which are sandwiched between the hem and the side walls of the bag. These non-flat connections impart a lumpy and aesthetically displeasing appearance to those portions of the bag which overlie these non-flat connections. Fourthly, the bight portion which is grasped by the hand of a user sometimes tends to crease, or tends to cut into, the user's hand, particularly when the underside of the bight portion is somewhat rough and has a sharp edge, and particularly when relatively heavy objects are placed in the bag.